Robson seen off by Stephens

Great Britain's Laura Robson crashed out in the first round of her final tournament before the Australian Open, losing 6-4 7-6 (7/4) to eighth seed Sloane Stephens of the United States in the Moorilla Hobart International.

A single break in the first game of the match was enough for Stephens to win the first set, and she led with a break at 3-1 in the second.

Robson, who at 53 is ranked 15 places beneath her opponent, fought back to take the set into a tie-break, but Stephens prevailed.

There were missed chances for Robson, who had six break-point opportunities in the match, including four in the first set.

British number one Heather Watson withdrew from the tournament because of injury.

Belarusian Olga Govortsova caused an upset with a comfortable straight-sets win over Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro.

The fifth seed, ranked 34 in the world, was defeated 6-2 6-1 by a player ranked 57.